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Wednesday, September 19, 2007

JUDGEMENT DAY AT PLAZA MIRANDA

Exactly a week ago today, I rushed over to Quiapo without even having breakfast. It was because of Unang Hirit's announcement that the issuance of the verdicts on the perjury and plunder cases against former president Joseph Estrada was to be telecast live on Mercury Drug's giant electronic monitor at Plaza Miranda.

So I thought this would be the ideal location for me to document the crowd's reaction to the verdict. After all, the Estrada camp claims the full support of about a third of our population; therefore, I assumed a huge crowd of supporters would be there.

Now, as we all know, Plaza Miranda is that public square in front of Quiapo Church, a popular site for political rallies. It was also the scene of a tragic incident: in August 21, 1971 during the Liberal Party's Miting de Avance, a bomb exploded which claimed eight lives, while another hundred people sustained serious injuries, all of them civilians.

This precious square of real estate also became etched into our national consciousness as the ultimate political soapbox when President Ramon Magsaysay famously remarked, “Can we defend it in Plaza Miranda?”

On the other hand, Mercury Drug Store's electronic billboard is the first of its kind in the Philippines with two wall mounted, high resolution, ultra bright light emitting diode (LED) display screen. Hence, I thought this would make a superb backdrop when photographing the peoples' reaction and show of support.

But alas! On that particular day, not a single soul in Plaza Miranda seemed to care; no one even bothered to look up on the giant monitor for an update throughout the entire telecast. Neither was there a huge contingent of Estrada supporters standing vigil and petitioning for the Black Nazarene's auspicious intervention.

Moreover, when the verdict was finally issued -- acquittal for perjury and conviction on two out of four counts of plunder -- the people in Plaza Miranda remained oblivious, except to their own personal errands and businesses that seemed to demand their utmost attention.

I finally left the plaza around one o'clock in the afternoon. Soon thereafter, a torrential rainfall hit the city causing flash flooding all over the place. The following day, I heard that Estrada's loyalists perceived those two hours of heavy downpour as a sign of "heaven weeping for such an unfair verdict."

Be that as it may, the following photographs basically provide a glimpse of how people went about their way on that particular Wednesday morning at Plaza Miranda.

You're right, Rhoda, it probably came to a point in which that one-third of the population that once vigorously supported Erap felt blown away by the almost half a billion pesos that Erap was ordered by the court to return to the government.

And to think that most of those local folks probably don't even have a half a thousand pesos in their pockets on any given day. Now, here's the man they once idolized and put into the highest office in the land ordered by the court to return the kind of money that's most probably beyond their usual level of perception.

An interesting reversal of fortune (more so in terms of support than money) for Erap, indeed.

And this probably explains why those from the entertainment sector did poorly in the last elections.

Perhaps, the masses are finally waking up and no longer interested to witness more of the same theatrical fiasco seep into our political arena. The old political guards are doing a good enough job in keeping us amused and perplexed without the cameo appearances of those celebrity "has beens."

The former mayor Lito Atienza spearheaded a multi-million facelift of Plaza Miranda, Nell, which was paid for by Malacanang. And yes ... a tragic bombing incident occurred here which some claim ushered in the Martial Law era.

Goes to show that people are probably fed up with Eraption and want to move on with life :(

LOL on those people who think the rain was heaven weeping for a womanizing plunderer :) I recall a joke about U.S. officials joining the saudi Arabian high ranking officials in an annual prayer for rain while the U.S. planes were airborne trying to make rain !

Not familiar with Australia but I am one to attest the same truth applies to New York, specifically Manhattan. If the rich and famous scramble to buy a loft in downtown's meat district, imagine how many would strive to live in a district very much like Quiapo.

Either the erap supporters have moved on with their lives or nobody went the to slums with wads of bills and a bags of goodies and packed those folks in buses and brought them to Plaza Miranda or where ever was the usual place of protest.

Life in Manila as observed by a former New Yorker who with a laptop and camera has reinvented himself as a storyteller. Winner of the PHILIPPINE BLOG AWARDS: Best Photo Blog in 2007 and three Best Single Post awards in 2008.